Complaint
A viewer complained that the presenter, Fiona Bruce, made a claim that she was not 拢20,000 better off than before the pandemic which was untrue and, because made in a context where it appeared to dismiss a point about inequality made by a member of the panel, biased. Additionally, the subtitles at that point in the programme differed from what Ms Bruce was saying in a way which seemed intended to alter her meaning. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 麻豆社鈥檚 editorial standards of impartiality and accuracy.
Outcome
A member of the panel had said 鈥淲ho here鈥檚 20,000 pounds cash richer than before Covid? I鈥檒l tell you who probably is - every single person on this panel. Okay?鈥. After two other members had demurred, Ms Bruce said 鈥淗ang on, don鈥檛 include us in all this, I don鈥檛 know if you鈥檝e seen the way 麻豆社 works, but they鈥檙e not exactly raising salaries by that much鈥. Ms Bruce鈥檚 earnings from her work for 麻豆社 Studios (the 麻豆社鈥檚 commercial arm) are not publicly available and her broader financial circumstances are of course private. However, her earnings through her public service work for the 麻豆社 for the financial years from 2019 鈥 2024 were as follows:
2019-2020: 拢450,000-拢454,999
2020/2021: 拢405,000-拢409,999
2021/2022: 拢410,000-拢414,999
2022/2023: 拢395,000-拢399,999
2023/2024: 拢405,000-拢409,000
So, although the ECU was not in a position to calculate Ms Bruce鈥檚 overall earnings, what she said was clearly consistent with the published figures, and the ECU therefore had no grounds for finding her statement inaccurate; and, as it bore on the applicability of the panel-member鈥檚 statement to the other participants in the programme rather than on his point about inequality, the ECU saw no grounds for considering it biased. As to the subtitles, which read 鈥渢hey鈥檙e not exactly raising salaries right now!鈥, the ECU considered the discrepancy explicable by the pace and enunciation of the passage in question, and did not consider it altered her meaning in a way which could be considered misleading or biased.
Not upheld